When a new season rolls around, we often feel as though it’s time to reinvent ourselves. Flowers are finally starting to make their way through the dirt and into the world and baby animals are being born all over the world; spring is finally here and as the world starts itself afresh, we should challenge ourselves to start new things too. But it often feels as though hobbies are extremely expensive – not only are the classes a lot of money but the materials can also be very pricey. Here are some hobbies that you could take up without putting too much strain on your wallet…

Painting

Even if you’ve always thought that you were terrible at art, painting’s a hobby that you could take up. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on fancy art paper and oil paints – instead, buy a set of watercolours from any local store or a website and get sloshing around when you have a few spare moments. It isn’t about the finished result – it’s about the process of being creative, of making something that you love, of focusing on that small artistic task that is intrinsically all about you.

Scrapbooking

Scrapbooking isn’t only fun – it’s creative and a way to make sure that your favourite memories stay fresh forever. It isn’t just sticking photos in a scrapbook – you can also write in your favourite memories from the days that the photos were taken, funny things that happened or were said, or milestones that your kids reached around that time. Scrapbooks are something that you can keep forever, and what’s more, you can find materials for scrapbooking in your every day life, from cutting pages out of magazines to picking up packets of art paper on sale when you see them.

Quilting

Quilting is a hobby that’s fun for you but that also creates something that’s beautiful and useful that you can gift to other people. If you have a friend or relative who’s sick then there’s nothing as beautiful as a quilt to comfort them – likewise, if you have a new baby niece or nephew then a quilt is a beautiful, thoughtful and personal gift. If you aren’t sure where to begin, check out a website like www.QuilterReview.com – the quilting community is full of kind and knowledgeable people who will be more than happy to share their wisdom with you.

Book Groups

Let’s face it, book people are some of the nicest in the world. Anyone who loves reading is automatically curious about the world around them, interested in other people, and as open-minded as you could ever want from a friend. If you love reading then why not set up a book group? Put up a notice in your local book store and start a Facebook group where you can all discuss what titles you might want to choose. ‘Book group’ fiction is a new rising genre that publishers are actively looking for – check out titles like Rose Tremain’s The Gustav Sonata and Jessie Burton’s The Miniaturist if you’re looking for ideas. And the best thing about book groups? You only need to pay out the cost of a novel and a coffee wherever you choose to meet – it’s a very reasonably priced hobby, and what’s more, a hobby that you can meet some great friends through.

Yoga

If you’d like to improve both your spiritual and physical health then there’s nothing better than yoga. No matter what physical problems you might have, yoga could help, from irritable bowel syndrome to arthritis to a sore back from working at a computer all day long. The important thing about yoga is that you can go at your pace and make sure that you find what feels good and healthy for you personally – there’s no obligation to do more than you feel comfortable with. You don’t need to spend a lot of money on yoga clothes or classes – instead, you can just get a yoga mat, put on your comfiest sweatpants and check out YouTube videos like Yoga With Adriene to get started with the basics.

Cooking

If you’d like to cut down on your household expenses then there’s no better way to do that than through cooking from fresh as often as you can. Learning to cook will reduce how much money you spend on expensive convenience food – and it’ll also be good for you too! Look online for recipes. Jamie Oliver and the BBC site will often provide recipes that don’t contain too many crazy ingredients that will be hard for you to get.